Verstappen Is Spending His Week Off At the ‘Ring Clive Rose – Getty Images
On Sunday, Max Verstappen won the Italian Grand Prix as part of his day job as the lead driver for Red Bull’s massive two-team Formula 1 apparatus. This coming weekend, he’s taking some well-earned time off… and racing in something very different.
As Red Bull F1 executive Helmut Marko recently told Autosport, Verstappen is set to compete in this weekend’s two VLN endurance races at the Nürburgring. The F1 champion will be required to attend the usual classes for ‘Ring licensing on Friday before racing in the Saturday and Sunday races, which Auto Motor und Sport reports he will run in a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Verstappen first tested at the ‘Ring back in May under the pseudonym “Franz Hermann.” The Red Bull F1 star previously told Road & Track that he already knows he “wants to do [Daytona] in the future.” Off-weekend, in-season sports car racing at the ‘Ring could be the first steps toward running 24=hour races at the Nordschleife, Daytona, and Le Mans in the future.
After running VLN races this coming weekend, Verstappen could be set to start running in those 24-hour classics sooner rather than later. The 2026 24 Hours of Nürburgring is set for May 16th and 17th—conveniently, an off weekend on next year’s F1 calendar. Daytona, a January race, is also run before the F1 season begins. Verstappen’s F1 commitments should make Le Mans a non-starter, however; the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix has been scheduled against that race.
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